March 2016 – Smallchelle

What’s so “Good” About Good Friday?

Posted on March 25, 20162 Comments

I remember as a kid, going to the Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, CA for Easter Mass with my family. I always loved the stained glass panels, the smooth, well worn wood of the pews, the slight tang of incense that never completely dissipates. The statues always intrigued me the most. There was of course Mary, robed in blue and white, with a look of absolute serenity beaming down on me.

There was one statue that always haunted me though. It’s of Christ just before he goes to the cross, beaten, bloody, hands tied, with a crown of thorns on his head and a deep red velvet robe draped over his shoulders. It’s called “Ecco Homo”, the latin words for what Pontius Pilate said after Jesus had been scourged, “Behold the Man.”

I’m not Catholic anymore, but I look forward to “Good Friday” service at the church I’m part of every year because when I really focus my mind on that image, the broken Christ, something amazing happens. The goodness of God is exposed. Might sound kinda crazy but let me explain with a little Bible Q & A.

If God is so good then why was Jesus, his anointed one, so badly treated?

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:6-11

Who really was this Jesus?

He is more beautiful than I was ever told as a child. His life was one of love, passion and mercy. He was unique in all that exists. Not created but the Creator Himself. Not just a mere man, but the embodiment of God’s goodness to mankind.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. Col 1:15-20

What’s so “Good” about Good Friday?

What does the cross give us?
Righteousness
Reconciliation
Forgiveness
Justification
Freedom
Adoption
Love
Hope
Peace
Eternal Life
Resurrection
Holy Spirit
Mercy
Grace

What does the cross take away?
Shame
Condemnation
Separation
Wrath
Spiritual Deadness
Hopelessness
Punishment
Sin
Death
Fear

Jesus loves me this I know…

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” John 10:7-18

Sunday’s Comin!

But today we focus in on the cross. In the hero’s journey it’s the moment when all hope seems lost. It’s the thick darkness that comes before the dawn. It’s the one who was supposed to rescue us all and save the day, dead. The apostles were scattered and afraid. They watched their best friend and mentor die.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth. Isa 53:7

It’s the King of Kings, led like a lamb to be slaughtered, silent before his shearers. He is the Good Shepherd AND the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world. He did it all for love, and all for your sins and mine.

Our humanity says the hero doesn’t die… the hero rallies, stands up, finishes his fight and saves the day. Jesus wasn’t just interested in saving the day, but rather in saving you and me. That meant going all the way into death so he could fight death from the other side and rise again!

Today “Behold the Man,” knowing that you are his joy.

“…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb 12:2

I hope this has encouraged you. I’d love for you to share in the comments what the cross of Christ has given you and what it has taken away.

My Very First e-book and you can have it for FREE!

Posted on March 17, 2016Leave a comment

I’m excited to share with you all my first e-book “How to Use Paul’s 8 Weapons of Righteousness”

I’m offering it free right now when you sign up for my Smallchelle.com newsletter.

You can expect about one new post per week right in your inbox so you won’t miss a thing!

Don’t worry, if you’re already signed up I’ll be emailing you the e-book FREE as a thank you for already being awesome!

Functional Faith

Posted on March 11, 2016Leave a comment

Sometimes we talk about faith like it’s a muscle we exercise to make it stronger, but with how my muscles behave after exercise I’m not sure it’s a valid comparison. Maybe it is…. Does my faith get sore after heavy use? Does my faith need a rest day? Does my faith get injured if I use it too much? Nah.

I’ve been hearing a lot lately about “functional fitness” and I think there is a comparison to faith in that way. Do I have “functional faith?” Is my faith strong and well nourished so that when it needs to lift a heavy load or go a distance it can? Do we want “functional faith” as badly as we want “functional fitness?”

In our faith there is a deadlift coming. It’s not something we can just walk away from. It must be lifted. Someone is going to get sick. Someone is going to lose a job. Someone is even going to die.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

Do we treat church on Sunday like the machines at the local Globo gym that isolate muscles and never teaches them to work together? Are we tracking steps but not going anywhere? Or do we use Church like the training grounds it’s meant to be? Barbells, and Kettlebells and Burpees? The burpees that knock us down and teach us how to get back up again.

Church is meant to be a safe place for faith to function so we don’t see our faith fail outside the walls. Do we stare ahead at the worship team just listening, or do we take a deep breath and explode with worship? Do we sit through the sermon internally complaining about the squeaky AC vent (guilty!) or do we concentrate on what the Spirit is trying to teach us? Do we pray like we mean it and believe God hears us, or do we pray just to make people feel better about life?

Are we apathetic? Do we shrug at the folks around us with a “glad it’s not me” attitude while they are carrying heavy burdens, or do we encourage them? “Good work!” “You got this!” “Keep your butt low and your chest up!” Or rather, “Let’s get on our knees and lift this up to the Lord!”

Tenacious G

There are two ways to fail. You either don’t try, or you fall and don’t get back up. Aside from being functional the word tenacious comes to mind. Here’s what “tenacious” means:

A strong grip or an unyielding advocate might both be described as tenacious, a word whose synonyms include resolute, firm, and persistent. The word comes from the Latin root tenax, which means “holding fast.” (vocabulary.com)

I want that kind of tenacious faith! The awesome thing is that God’s word show us that more often than us grabbing hold of God, He is the one who upholds us. Jesus is our unyielding advocate with a strong grip on us. Isaiah 41:10 says:

fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Church isn’t only a place to exercise our faith, but also a place to hear the Gospel that reminds us it is God who upholds us when we are weak. Our strength doesn’t come from inside ourselves, but rather comes from believing that God is holding us up, whether we are on our feet, on our knees, or curled up in the fetal position getting kicked in the gut by life.

Tenacious faith doesn’t stand up on it’s own like a pillar, it’s the ivy vine that clings to the pillar, and no matter how hard it gets pruned down, it always comes back. Tenacious! We don’t have enough strength, muscle, backbone, faith or anything else to stand on our own, but we can hold on for dear life to Jesus who does. Romans 8:35-38 gives us this hope:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What an awesome scripture to meditate on! If you’ve been encouraged by this today please feel free to leave a comment below or share this post. I appreciate you reading.

Resources

For Functional Faith check out Life Mission Church or a local Church near you this Sunday!

For Functional Fitness check out Crossfit 2.0 or a local Crossfit Box near you!

Safety In Numbers

Posted on March 5, 20161 Comment

It’s been foggy the last few mornings. Light fog is beautiful, it softens the harsh edges of the world, it catches the sunlight in a shimmery haze. Thick fog is downright terrifying. It hides what we need to see. It lies to us about the dangers in our path. It blinds us to reality. It settles into the valley and blocks out the sun. Beyond the white haze we know the sun is there, but we can’t see it anymore. It’s a different kind of darkness, one where we can fool ourselves into thinking we can see. That’s the most dangerous kind of blindness.

Really the fog forces us to slow down, take our time. We may only be able to see a step or two ahead. Rushing around in the fog is a recipe for disaster.

The fog I’m talking about here is the “unknown”, the “what-ifs” and the things that keep us up worrying at night.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16

I see the “mountain top” above the fog, but I also see that valley, full of foaming white froth, and I know I have to go through it to get up there. Weather it’s the maturing of my faith, the next goal in my fitness journey, the years away graduation of my kids, or just the next project at work.

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

In the case of fog the phrase “safety in numbers” has a fierce ring of truth. We can follow the successful steps of those that have gone before us while walking with our peer group and leading the next generation.

“Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” 2 Corinthians 13:11

This is what community is all about, especially what I’ve come to know as “Gospel Community.” Over the years I’ve been a part of many churches, but never one so rooted in the Gospel as where I am now.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace…” 1 Peter 4:10

What this looks like practically is a group of Christian believers intentionally knitting their lives together. More than just a couple hours on a Sunday, we make it our aim to be friends and encourage each other throughout the week.

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” James 5:16

We need to get vulnerable, ask for help and prayer. Say, “I’m in the fog!” And that Gospel community says “Jesus is in the fog with you, and so are we.” We help each other see Jesus through the fog. We help each other hear Jesus through the fog. We help each other follow Jesus in the fog.

“Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.” Romans 14:13

Are you in the fog? Are you in a Gospel Community? We gotta stop stumbling around and hiding our skinned knees. Ask for help. Make a friend. Help someone else. You need community, and your community needs you.

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart…” 1 Peter 1:22

Feel free to comment below. I would love to hear how Gospel Community has made a difference in your life.